Slippage reduction pump



Oct. 13, 1936. c. M. oLEARY SLIPPAGE REDUCTION PUMP Filed Ag. 20, 1934 A TTORNE y klllll Patented @et 1?, 1936 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE SLIBPAGE REDUCTION PUMP Charles M. OLeary, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application August 20, 1934, Serial No. 740,567

1 Claim. (Cl. 103-181') This invention relates to deep well pumps and particularly pertains to slippage reduction pumps. This application is a continuation in part of my abandoned application entitled slippage reduction pump, Serial No. 625,872, filed July 29, 1932.

In the operation of deep wells, such for example as oil wells in which it is characteristic for sand from the formation to mix with the oil being drawn from the well, it is desirable to provide a pumping structure which may be mounted within the casing at the depth of flow of the. well or at any other suitable point, and which will operateto elevate the liquid from the well Without requiring that the reciprocating parts shall be tightly packed with relation to each other, or that they shall have movement with relation to each other which will act to cause excessive wear of the parts due to the granular, gritty material which may be suspended. within the liquid, the structure comprising a reciprocable plunger which moves within a pump cylinder and has a relationship therewith to insure that rthe uid being moved thereby will form its own seal between the cylinder and the piston without requiring any physical contact between said members, said members being further formed with means for agitating the iiuid comprising the seal so that there will not be any accumulation of sediment or gritty material between the surfaces of the moving parts which would tend to abrade the surfaces or pack them in a manner to render the device inoperative.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing in which:-

Figure l is a view in longitudinal vertical section and elevation showing the structure with which the present invention is concerned.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the manner in which the corresponding surfaces of the moving parts are prepared to cause them to produce a disturbancerin the liquid vwhich is between them whereby suspended solids in said liquid will be agitated to prevent it from settling upon the parts and unduly abrading the same.

Fig. 3 is a view in transverse section through the pump and the casing structure as seen on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

vReferring more particularly to the drawing, I0 indicates a well tubing which has been suitably set within a well bore. Av plurality of perforations are formed through the tubing wall and through which fluids from the oil bearing formation may pass into the tubing. A friction lock and packing device I2 is mounted upon a pump rod I3 and is designed to be expanded into the tubing I0 2J? a desired point in lock or anchor shoe I2' as will be hereinafter described. The friction lock device, includes a cylindrical body member I 4 which is of an outside diameter materially lessvthan the inside diameter of the tubing I0. Mounted upon this cylindrical body is a plurality of expandable packing rings I5 separated from each other by spacers I6. A nut I'I having laterally extending limiting means I I is freely mounted on the pump rod I3 and is formed with a transverse slot I8 across its upper face which slot may be engaged by a transverse key member I9 secured to a fitting 2U formed as a part of a pin connection 2| which is in turn engaged by a box coupling member 22 of an upper pump section I3. It will be seen that when the member I 9 is moved down into register with the slot I8 rotation of the rod will' cause the threaded nut I'I to move on to the upper threaded end of the cylindrical member I4 and will compress the packing rings I 5 to cause them to expand and engage the inner face of the anchor shoe l2 and seal off the upper portion of the tubing Il) from the area within which pumping operations are to take place.

Depending from the cylindrical member I4 of the friction lock packingdevice is a standing barrel 24 and a hanging sleeve 25-which is circumscribedby the standing barrel and is. concentric therewith. The standing barrelv is threaded onto the outerface of the cylindrical body member I4 and the hanging sleeve is threaded'on to the inner face. 'Ihe barrel and sleeve thus combine to form an annular pumping chamber 21 closed at its upper end by the cylindrical body member I4 and opened at its lower end in a manner tovbe hereinafter described. I The standing barrel is provided at its lower endV with a standing valve structure 28 which is threaded into the end of the standing barrel and carries a foot valve 29 by which fluid is admitted into the lower end of the standing barrel but which prevents fluid from. passing out through the standing valve structure .when the valve is closed. The length of the standing barrel maybe as desired depend!- ing upon the intended length of1 pump stroke in the device.

The hanging sleeve may be of anydesired lengthbut is preferably shorter than the standing barrel a distance substantially equal to the length of the stroke of the pump, and if desired the hanging sleeve may be of a length which is itself substantially equal to the stroke of thev pump. Disposed below the open mouth of the hanging sleeve 25 is a working valve structure 3U. This valve is fitted with a foot valve member 3| which will permit uid to pass upwardly the inside diameter of the standing barrel 24.?

In fact, the Working barrel is intended y ,.at all times to move into the annular pump chamber 21. Its wall is of a thickness tofdivide-the pump chamber 21 equally into an outer. annular space 33 and an inner annular space 34,' these rspaces being sufiiciently wide to insure that tl'iein'ne'r face ofthe standingbarrel andthe outer face of the working barrel willnotfco'ntact; arldfthe inner `facefof the working barrel and, the outerv faceof the hanging sleeve will not contact.

Y Attention is directed to Fig. 2 of the drawing where it will be seen'that theouter faceso'fthe, hanging sleeve 25 and the workirigbarrel n*32"are formed with annular grooves 35which 'are' cut into the faces of these members and vcircumscribe thefsame: v'I'hese grooves are equally spaced? throughout the length of said surfaces andare preferably made withv downwardly nclined.up per and bottom-faces and 31., and a-back face 38 which'is concentric and parallel with-theouter surface of the member in; which itV iscut. These 'grooves provide means for agitating the liquid which passes up and down between the reciprocating parts. The result will'bethat there will notbe an opportunity for accumulationorsettlee ment of sediment or gritty material; suchas sand, betweenthese partssince'the agitation of the liquid will maintain-fthe particles in motion and cause them to move in suspension `with the liquid;

In operation of the 'present inventionfit isintended that the deep well pump -herex'shown shall perform itslpu'rnping: action without recuiring the usefof any tight fitting packing between the reciprocating parts of the pump. When the pump is to be used the assembled structure, including the working valve structure .38. the working barrel 32, the hanging sleeve and the standing barrel, together with the friction lock packing device I2. are lowered into the well onv the string of pumpvrod I3. vWhen the pump structure has vbeen inserted within the well casing tothe anchor shoe I2', as limtedby the lateral stops I1' on nut I'Iuthe` fitting 2 Ilfis moved downwardly so" that .the key rriernloerf!9 will engage the transverse slot I8" on 'thenutjflj so that the pump string may be rotated jto'A screw the nut I1 upon the lock device and compressthe -packing members I5Kand.upon the fcy'lindrlidal body I 4 oftheifrictionlflock device.' This will cause the packingmernbers to expandnsealing `off ,the upper portion of the well casing from the area vwithinwhich pumping operations are vto be carried on. Itwill be understood,however,.that a .central opening or passageway 39 extends through the cylindrical body member of the fricftion lock device and communicates with the hanging sleeve 25 so that liquid within that sleeve can be` drawn upwardlythrough the friction lock device and into the well tubing. After the friction lockdevice-l2 has .been set in posinon the pump is ready to be operated, 'merrietion lock apparatus is expanded to a diameterf slightly larger than the inside diameter of the`v hanging sleeve 25. Due to the sectional area of the. passageway 21 being greater than the sectional are'as of the spaces 33 and 34 upon opposite sides of the working barrel the liquid will have' greater freedom of ilow upwardly through the center of the hanging sleeve than it will have up- ;wardly through the space 34 between the hanging sleeve and, thev working barrel and. downwardlyjthrough' the space A33 between the working barrel Vandthe standing barrel.`

.It will'jbeunderstood thatthe working barrel telescopes'foverlthe hanging sleeve and within the standing barrel and that as the working barrel isflifed Wthrelation to thehanging sleeve and the standing barrel the overlap between'the lower end o f thehanging sleeve and the upperv end ofV the working barrel will increase thus increasing the length `of ,the passageway 34, 4 The only amount of fluid that Vcan leak by is the volume of uid; in the chamber 21 on the beginning of the upstroke. The pressure in chamber 21 is equal to they tubing pressure, Ibut as the working barrel progresses upwardly the vpressure increasesdue to the attempt toqforce it bythe small clearance of theJ tubes. Therefore,- if vthe'.` pressure in the chamberfZT is greater than thetubing pressure, the yonly loss by leak will be the volume of iluid displaced bythe working barrel 32. When the upstroke of the working barrel 32Vand the working valve structure 30 has 'been concluded, the pump rod I3 will move downwardly carrying the valve structure 30 andl the working barrelf32 downwardly, tending to move the working barrel from its overlapping relation to the hangingsle'eve 25,. A the Sametime the foot valve 29 will be closed and the'working valve 3| will be opened so that fluid can flow through the valve structure 30 and into the working barrel 32. It will be seen that the working barrel 32 will in this case serve as a bucketfor the upflowing luid so that upon a successive upstroke of the working barrel and the valve-this iluid will be forced into the hanging sleeve 2,5 due to the lifting action of the working valve I structure, and the vresistance to leakage -offeredby the fluid within the concentric passageways 33 and,34. Also, fluid will flow back into lchamber 21 setting up a continuous agitation of the fluid between the tubes 24, 25 and 32 on the 'displacement and vsuction strokes of the working barrel 32. y

In order to insure that granular material lwill not deposit on any ofthe moving parts it is desirable that the outside diameter of the working working barrel will be maintained in motion tend- `faces ofthe standing barrel, hanging sleeve, and "Z5 ing to produce suspension of the solid particles in the liquid.

It will thus be seen that the structure here disclosed provides means whereby a pump structure may be readily positioned for operation within a deep well and may thereafter be eiciently used to pump liquid from the Well even though the liquid contains granular and gritty material which would cut out the packing of most types of deep well pumps now being used.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention as now known to Ine it will be understood that various changes may be made in the combination, construction, and arrangement of parts by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A pump structure comprising a tubular standing barrel the lower portion of which forms a pump chamber, a tubular hanging sleeve within, and spaced from, the upper portion of said barrel and forming between the same and the barrel an annular fluid packing area closed at its upper end and opening downwardly within the barrel, a foot valve on the barrel at the lower end of the pump chamber, a rod depending through the sleeve, a tubular working barrel, and a valve at the lower end of the working barrel, said working barrel being connected at its lower portion to said rod and having an outside diameter less than the inside diameter of the standing barrel and having an inside diameter greater than the outside diameter of the hanging sleeve, said working barrel having an upper open end extending upwardly into the said ud packing area in spaced relation to both the hanging sleeve and the working barrel and forming therewith inner and outer, constantly open annular channels communicating at their upper ends with said uid packing area, the inner channel communicating at its lower end with the space within the working barrel, and the outer channel having unrestricted communication at its lower end with the pump chamber of the standing barrel below the working barrel whereby said channels have their lower ends opening downwardly above the respective valves and directly in the flow stream of the pump so that the fluid in the channels and in the uid packing area is subjected to constant turbulence during operation of the pump.

CHARLES M. OLEARY. 

